San Gabriel Valley Digest

Claremont : Land Traded for Variance

Overriding vocal protest from residents worried that a park would draw outsiders to their northeast Claremont neighborhood, the City Council on Tuesday unanimously approved a developer's plan to give the city a 20-acre tract in exchange for a waiver of requirements governing lot size.

After a heated two-hour public hearing, the council granted a zoning variance and conditional-use permit to Hughes Development Corp., developer of the proposed Baldy Vista Estates in the area of Padua Avenue and Mt. Baldy Road north of Baseline Road. The variance permits lots measuring 27,000 square feet, rather than the 30,000 square feet standard for a rural residential area.

Before her vote, Councilwoman Judy Wright said she was saddened by bigotry she sensed among those who opposed the park because it would attract visitors from outside the north Claremont area.